Blaby District Council is urging residents to ensure they do not fall foul of a law fining dog owners failing to have appropriate identification on their dog.

The Control of Dogs Order (1992) says that a dog in a public place must wear a collar bearing the name and address (including postcode) of the owner engraved or written on it, or engraved on a tag.

As part of the Council’s efforts to make dog owners aware of the law, the Animal Services will be visiting parks and open spaces across the district throughout March, before enforcement of the law begins on Thursday 05 April.

Michelle Ikin, Senior Animal Services Officer at Blaby District Council, said:

“A collar and tag are absolutely vital in ensuring a lost dog can be returned to its owner quickly.

“Too many times we keep stray dogs for several days, which we wouldn’t have to do if dog owners complied with the law by having a collar and tag on their pet.

“We appreciate there has been a lot of focus on the microchipping law that came into force in 2016, but it’s important now that we look towards making every dog out in public within the district easily identifiable if it ever does get lost.”

Last year saw a total of 58 stray dogs collected by the Council, with 38 of those not having a collar on.

Each stray can cost a minimum of £67 to collect.